GENEVA, October 12. /TASS/. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that the strategy when herd immunity to the coronavirus infection is achieved by free circulation of the virus is unacceptable in human society. During a Monday briefing in Geneva, he emphasized that this variant does not correspond to ethical norms, reiterating that this strategy of protection against a disease has never been used in the history of medicine.

"Never in the history of public health has herd immunity been used as a strategy for responding to an outbreak, let alone a pandemic. It is scientifically and ethically problematic," the WHO head stated.

"We don’t know enough about immunity to COVID-19," he noted. Although the majority of the infected develop immunity "within the first few weeks," it is still unknown "how strong or lasting that immune response is, or how it differs for different people," he explained, reiterating that there had been cases when people got infected for the second time.

"The vast majority of people in most countries remain susceptible to this virus," the WHO head continued. He cited the studies according to which "less than 10% of the population have been infected with the COVID-19 virus." As the director-general emphasized, uncontrollable circulation of COVID-19 among people would lead to "unnecessary infections, suffering and death."

"We’re only beginning to understand the long-term health impacts among people with COVID-19," he said. "Allowing a dangerous virus that we don’t fully understand to run free is simply unethical. It’s not an option," the Director-General concluded.